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LDS Church addresses FLDS confusion

FLDS are not Mormons, just like Mormons are not Christians. The LDS church has put out videos to show they are different from the FLDS, just like the Christian churches put out videos to show that the Mormons are not like them.

I'm living in Houston and it's amazing how many people that know I was LDS think I'm part of the FLDS group. Kinda funny when people ask what I think about what is happening in a reserved manner, figuring that I am going to take offense. Unfortunately, it shows how inaccurate the media can be, and what a poor job the general membership of the church is doing to establish between friends and neighbors their LDS beliefs. People really have no idea who we are and what we believe.

Though the LDS church has nothing to do with the practice of plural marriage, it does nevertheless BELIEVE in the institution of plural marriage. That's where the bug-a-boo takes place.

It's kinda like talking one way out of one side of the mouth and then speaking the other way from the other side of the mouth.

This is what is so damn confusing to the world at large about the Mormons concerning plural marriage. Now add the history and all and yes, it gets extremely confusing and convoluted.

I'm not so sure the LDS church's PR machine can get them out of this one. Just too much history and the consequences of history concerning this one.

Good luck!

First off, let me say that I love and admire the LDS church. However, the LDS church is far more similar to the FLDS church than it is to other Christian churches. Yet the LDS church fights to distance itself from any association from the FLDS church while continually arguing that it is indeed a christian church. The LDS claim to be Christian because they beleive in Jesus Christ. Rightly so. How is it then that they can say that another church that beleives in Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, eternal marriage, and other similar docrtines may not be referred to as a mormon church? Furthermore, it is deceiving to say that the LDS church has nothing to do with polygamy when it instituted the practice and allows men to marry a second wife after the first passes away without a sealing cancellation. Polygamy was started by the LDS church and will be practiced in heaven. I love the church, but I think it shouldn't twists facts and hint that it may use legal action against the media outlets. May all those with Mormon heritage be called Mormons.

Mormons are Christians. Christians believe in Christ. The name of our church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We most definately are Christians.

Aloha from Hawaii

This is a welcome and needed clarification from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Many in the world do not know even the most simple basic beliefs of the LDS Church nor any of its history.

As a practicing Anglican when the LDS missionaries came to my door in 1969, I had never before that even heard of the LDS Church or the Book of Mormon.

Until this raid in Texas I had never heard of FLDS, nor had I any concept of the extent of the practice of Polygamy today... I had thought there were just one or two men, whose stories I had seen in the papers, who had entered into Polygamy because of wanting to have more than one wife, and that somehow a few women had been talked into going along with it.

I spent most of last year travelling America, visited all of the LDS Historic Sites, spending lots of time in each area. A fortnight in Nauvoo. A month at Far West/ Independence Missouri. Rented a home at Park City for three months. Explored Utah... so my lack of knowledge of this situation was not because of isolation in Australia :-))

"FLDS are not Mormons, just like Mormons are not Christians."

Mormons ARE certainly Christians. Hence...The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Where do people get off on spewing this falsehood? Do you like to stir up trouble and spread false rumors about the Church?

I mean, Pastors and people who are ignorant about the Church spread and believe this nonsense.

Unless you are a member of the Church and unless you understand what you are saying...please refrain.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. We believe that He came to earth born of the Virgin Mary, that He grew and went forth spreading His Gospel. We believe he died on the cross for the sins of the world, that he rose on the third day.

What we believe is that we are Christians. We follow His teachings. We believe in the Great Commandment. We believe that we should treat others as we would like to be treated.

Other Churches, Pastors, and other so called Christians who go about spreading false rumors about The LDS church or any other Church should not call themselves Christians. This is NOT what Christ taught his disciples to do.

*shakes head at Gilly's comment*

If by Christian you mean belief in the 3rd century three-in-one god yes, Mormon's are not Christian. But then by the same definition neither was Peter, Paul, John or any of the first century believers.

One's "Christianess" is best defined by how they treat their fellow man.

Perhaps you should go out and practice being a Christian rather than critizing others efforts?

It would be interesting to collect lists of beliefs of each group and compare them side by side.

It's going to be kind of confusing this year on Pioneer day to convince people of the differences. CNN will probably be here with cameras to document those differences.

Maybe another church video will help. Better run it by the PR department first though.

Unfortunately, Gilly is also very misinformed. MORMONS ARE CHRISTIANS! Christ is the center of our existence!

However, using the same justification as the FLDS (and other apostate groups) are using, I guess, as a Mormon, I could go around claiming that I am a Catholic since both Mormons and Catholics are Christians. Of course, that would be absurd. Mormons are not Catholics. On top of that, "Mormon" is a term that is registered and tradmarked to the LDS Church. For any other Church or people to use that name is IDENTITY THEFT.

What's really sad is the way the FLDS delude themselves in to believing that they are following Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith told the people to "stay with the main body of the Church. That is where the truth will be." He also understood the principle of ongoing revelation.

Unfortunately some men with big egos, out-of-control sex drive and need for power didn't have the humility to accept it when the Lord commanded the practice of polygamy should STOP. That's where "the work" now called the FLDS came from.

Very sad.

Gilly,
If you define Christians, as only those group of people that are "not affiliated" or belong to a specific group, that you have a point. By doing this, however, you do not include most of the traditional protestant churches, and the catholic church.

That is unfair.

If you define Christians, as anyone who believes and follows Jesus Christ, you are completely wrong, and know it.

Maybe we should change the name of the Book of Mormon to The Record of the Nephites. Then everyone will call us Nephites and we will no longer be associated with Polygamy ;-D

Funnily enough, one of the splinter groups has published the Book of Mormon as The Record of the Nephites, and another The Stick of Joseph.

My experience is that in the mind of people (at least in the Netherlands and South Africa) Mormon = Polygamy, so maybe the Polygamist Mormon groups should be left with the name.

No doubt you�re another Mormon haters that jumps out of bed every morning and rushes to the desnews just hoping to find an article that mentions the Church, a member who did something wrong, BYU or any other remotely related topic connect to the Church so you can spew your senseless hatred for the Church. If that is all you�ve got in life I guess we must learn to live with it but at least develop an argument that makes a little sense.

Comparing the Church�s efforts to distinguish from the FLDS to the debate of Mormons being Christian is weak. The two religions are two defined groups with specific beliefs. Both openly agree on their differences. The issue is with the uninformed thinking they are the same because others (you) knowingly lie to promote your hate-filled agenda. The �Are Mormons Christian� debate is about how you define the general term. Even those in the debate agree that the term Christian is a big umbrella covering many religions regardless of whether you believe Mormons are covered or not.

Try harder next time.

All so serious... "Uh Gilly...you're wrong"

You seen to have missed that Gilly's remarks were tongue in cheek - pointing out the inconsistancy and amusement while watching the LDS church making non-legitimacy claim for the FLDS, while complaining that some protestant churches make the same claim about the LDS church.

I don't think your argument holds. If somebody is informed enough to know that Mormons believe in, but don't currently practice polygamy, wouldn't that person also be informed enough to know that the FLDS sect of a few thousand people that has been isolated in the deserts of UT/ AZ and now TX for the last 100 years is not the same as the 5 million or so LDS people covering the rest of UT and across the country? Nope. This is just a matter of people believing any negative thing they hear about Mormons, either because they don�t care enough to look beyond the first thing they were told, or because they are actively promoting and believing the lie to serve their agenda.

I wish the Mormon Cult-ure, would just continue in their breeding of their multiple children, and STOP in their lame attempts, to push their weirdo faith into the main stream religions. No matter how much spin, lack of published facts, they put into their own biased web-pages, any non-mormon already knows the truth about Mormons, FLDS, and the entire state of Utah Cult-ure.

I am not sure why everyone is trying to distinguish the fact that WE mormons don't practice a form of polgamy. Last time I checked the priesthood manual regarding sealings and consulted with gramps who lost his first wife. Polgamy is going strong in the "LDS" temples. It seems that we are trying to say on thing while doing another. Seems like this PR thing could backfire if news media groups really started doing their investigative work. Wonder if it could lead to a change of doctrine?

FLDS is the LDS religion of the 1830s through about 1920.

When asked questions about Mormons being Christians, and why the big uproar about it, my explanation is this:
The LDS Church is, indeed, Christian. We are not, however, Protestant. We did not come out of the Protestant Reformation began in Europe. We are wholly, completely, entirely Christian.
We are followers of the ancient Church as our Heavenly Father established it. The Protestant Reformation did a very big disservice to "Christianity" when they fought to seperate themselves from Catholicism. the "refromed" ideas of the 3rd centuries, (Christmas, the Trinity, etc), seperated the main chruch from the ancient church. We seek to follow what our Heavenly Father intended. The GOSPEL is true.